Sam Seltzer’s Steakhouse 4744 N Dale Mabry Hwy

Sam Seltzer’s Steakhouse: Big Steaks, Low Prices, and Cows on Dale Mabry

When Harold Seltzer moved to Tampa from Montreal, he saw an opportunity in the steakhouse business. Outback Steakhouse, founded in 1988, had already demonstrated Tampa’s appetite for reasonably priced steaks. Seltzer decided to take on the competition in Outback’s own backyard.

In 1995, he opened Sam Seltzer’s Steakhouse at 4744 N. Dale Mabry Highway and named it after his grandfather, Sam Seltzer, a butcher. His business philosophy was simple: serve quality food at prices ordinary families could afford.

The 25,000-square-foot restaurant, located just blocks from Tampa Stadium, was hard to miss. It featured several dining rooms, a banquet facility, an on-site butcher shop, and a herd of half a dozen life-sized plastic cows grazing out front.

And the prices? A 1995 Tampa Tribune advertisement offered a 20-ounce cut of prime rib with steak fries, salad, and rolls from the in-house bakery for just $9.95 (about $21-22 in today's dollars). A 16-ounce New York strip went for $13.95. The restaurant displayed meat in its butcher shop, where customers could also buy cuts of beef, cheeses, and even eggs to take home.

The concept was an immediate hit. According to the Tribune, customers sometimes waited 15 minutes just to get a number, followed by another hour to secure a table in the 350-seat restaurant. The newspaper's food critic wasn't particularly impressed with the long waits, lack of reservations, or overwhelmed staff. But Seltzer had clearly struck a nerve with Tampa diners. People were willing to wait for a good steak at a reasonable price.

Sam Seltzer's was an immediate hit, although not everyone was thrilled with the experience. In a November 10, 1995, Tampa Tribune review titled "Seltzer's ages diners, too," food critic Patty Ryan described customers packed shoulder to shoulder, waiting 5–15 minutes just to get a number, followed by another 60–90 minutes for a table. "If you enjoy anticipation, this cattle call is yours," she quipped. Reservations were accepted only for parties of six or more, and the overwhelmed staff struggled to keep up. Ryan gave the food two stars and service just 1½. But the crowds proved Seltzer had found a winning formula. Tampa diners were willing to put up with a lot for a reasonably priced steak.

Over the next seven years, Seltzer opened six more restaurants before selling the chain in 2004. Without its founder, the business struggled and eventually closed in 2010. The shutdown reportedly left employees without notice and customers holding approximately $300,000 in unused gift cards.

But Harold wasn't finished with the steakhouse business. Seltzer, who also owned the award-winning Floridian Cuban sandwich restaurant on Kennedy Boulevard, bought two of the shuttered Pinellas County locations, rehired some former employees, and reopened them around 2011 as Harold Seltzer's Steakhouse.

The last two Harold Seltzer's restaurants closed in 2024, ending nearly three decades of the Seltzer steakhouse tradition in Tampa Bay.

The original Dale Mabry location became Landers Steakhouse in 2011 and closed around 2015. Redevelopment began in 2017, and the Stadium Center shopping plaza opened on the property in 2020.

The steaks, the butcher shop, and those plastic cows are long gone. But for Tampa diners who remember waiting an hour for a table, Sam Seltzer's remains a memorable chapter in the city's restaurant history.

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved